Field of the Invention
This invention relates to automobile service lifts, and in particular to a portable low-rise lift which can be easily moved between locations.
Description of the Related Art
A wide variety of automobile lifts have been previously known and used in the automobile repair business and by hobbyists to provide access to the underside of a vehicle. Known varieties of lifts include post lifts and low-rise lifts. Post lifts can be either of the in-ground or above-ground variety, and are usually permanently installed in a fixed location. U.S. Pat. No. 8,256,577 discloses a portable two post lift having portable lifting columns which can be moved into a work area, bolted to the ground for use, and then unbolted and moved back into storage. The portable lifting columns are powered by a portable power unit which supplies hydraulic fluid to actuators in the lifting columns through a flow divider.
Low-rise lifts generally include a pair of jack assemblies, each of which includes a base, a support platform and links which connect the support platform to the base. Known low-rise lifts include the Bend-Pak P-6B pit style lift (generally as disclosed in U.S. Design Pat. No. D375,602) and the Bend-Pak LR-60 and LR-60P low-rise lifts. The P-6B lift includes two jack assemblies which are designed to be permanently mounted to a floor on opposite sides of a pit. Each assembly includes a respective actuator for raising the support platform relative to the base. Heavy coil springs are employed for lowering the support platforms. Designed primarily for use in quick oil change facilities, the jack assemblies of the P-6B are relatively heavy and not easily portable. The LR-60 has two jack assemblies interconnected by a linkage which spans the space between the two assemblies and connects both of the bases to each other and both of the support platforms to each other. A single actuator connected to the linkage serves to raise both support platforms in unison. The LR-60P is a portable version of the LR-60 having transport wheels and a tow handle for moving the lift between nearby work bays. Neither the LR-60 nor the LR-60P is easily portable between facilities. Also, while ideal for wheel service and body work, the interconnecting linkage of the LR-60 and LR-60P at least partially obstructs access the center underside of the vehicle and therefore makes these lifts impractical for transmission, drive line and exhaust work, for example.
What is needed is a low-rise lift which is lightweight, easily portable between work areas, including widely separated work areas, and which has no center structure or linkage which obstructs access to the center underside of a vehicle supported on the support platforms.